The results of the 2005 European Dressage Championships were no surprise. Germany (Bonaparte/Heike Kemmer, Piccolino/Klaus Husenbeth, Wansuela Suerte/Hubertus Schmidt and Sterntaler\’UNICEF/Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff, 221.70%) won the team title for the 21st consecutive time at Hagen, Germany, July 27-31. The Netherlands (Hexagon\’s Ollright/Laurens van Lieren, Geldnet Lingh/Edward Gal, Keltec Salinero/Anky van Grunsven and Barclay II/Sven Rothenberger, 221.16%) was second. Spain and Sweden tied for third.

Individually, van Grunsven and Salinero (236.57%) continued their domination of the world\’s biggest dressage events. It was van Grunsven\’s second European Championship title. She won the first in 1999 on Bonfire. Schmidt (230.87%) and Jan Brink of Sweden on Björsells Briar 899 (229.01%) claimed the silver and bronze medals.

While the results of the championships may not have been hard to guess at the outset, a highlight of the competition was the tie for the bronze medal between Spain (Ignacio Rambla/Distinguido 2; José Ignacio López Porras/Nevado Santa Clara; Juan Antonio Jiminez/Guizo; Beatriz Ferrer-Salat/Beauvalais) and Sweden (Louise Nathhorst/Guinness; Tinne Vilhelmson/Just Mickey; Jan Brink/Björsells Briar).

According to FEI rules, two teams cannot tie for a medal position. Both teams earned a collective 213.125 percent, but the rules state: In case of equality of points, the winning team is the one whose lowest classified competitor out of the three has the best result. That meant Spain as Rambla scored a 69.50 percent, well ahead of Sweden\’s Louise Nathhorst (68.62%).

But, in a gesture of sportsmanship, the Spanish Equestrian Federation, through Chef d\’Equipe Bobby Bobadilla, requested that the FEI Dressage Committee not break the tie. FEI officials agreed to their request.